Free water for patrons

Licensed venues that supply alcohol for consumption on-site are required to provide free drinking water to their patrons.

Licensed venues that supply alcohol for consumption on site are required to provide free drinking water to their patrons. The responsibility is on the licensee to ensure adequate facilities are provided. Substantial fines may apply for non-compliance.

Exemptions

Licensees may apply to the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation for an exemption to their mandatory requirement to provide free water.

The Commission has discretion over which applications are approved, and will determine each application on its own merits. However, under the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998, the Commission must consider:

the risk of harm arising from the misuse and abuse of liquor supplied under the licence, and

the extent of the burden imposed on the licensee by the requirement to supply free drinking water.

For example, an exemption may be granted where the licensee does not have access to mains water and the lack of free drinking water will not lead to alcohol-related harm.

VicHealth conducted a trial in Melbourne licensed premises to determine what factors might promote patron water consumption. The findings help fill a gap in knowledge about how changes in supply, accessibility and promotion of drinking water in the context of a licensed premises can affect patrons’ consumption of water.